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Ford Ranger (North America)
Ford Ranger is a pickup truck produced by the Ford Motor Company. The "Ranger" name had previously been used for a premium styling package on the F-Series full-sized pickup trucks since 1965. The name was moved to this line of North American compact trucks for the 1983 model year. In North America, the Ranger is Ford's compact pickup truck. The Ranger replaced the Ford Courier, an American version of the Mazda B-Series, in a segment largely defined by the Toyota and Datsun pickup trucks. The Ranger was the best-selling compact pickup in America from 1987 to 2004. The Ranger and related Mazda B-Series are manufactured at Ford's Twin Cities Assembly Plant in St. Paul, Minnesota, which is now scheduled to close in 2011. They were also assembled in Louisville, Kentucky until 1999 and in Edison, New Jersey until the plant's closing in 2004. It was reported in 2005 that an all-new Ranger, codenamed P273, was in the works to be introduced by 2010. The P273 was slated to be world pickup, presumably to be merged with the Mazda world pickups. A 2007 Ranger for the Thai market based on the Asian 4Trac concept was unveiled, but it is not scheduled to replace the North American truck. According to a recent article in the Car and Driver, there are three alternatives for Ford: 1) to redesign and continue to build the next generation in North America; 2) to import the new Ford Australian developed midsize 35+ mpg diesel version ute from the plant in Thailand;www.youtube.com 2012 Ford Ranger - Accessed 03/08/2011 and 3) to discontinue the Ranger line and exit the compact pickup market in North America. There are rumors that Ford's future product plans in the compact pickup market segment will be announced closer to the end of Ford Ranger production at the St. Paul, Minnesota plant in 2010–2011. There are reports that the plant will be sold and redeveloped once the production is ceased. Second generation models were also sold as the Mazda B-Series. Mazda has used the engine displacement to determine the name. Thus, the B2500 had a 2.5 L I4 engine, and the B4000 has a 4.0 L V6. For 2002, the name was changed to simply Mazda Truck in the United States. Mazda's partnership with Ford has resulted in the sharing of this vehicle—the Mazda B-Series and Ford Ranger are essentially the same after 1994. First generation 1983–1988 |length= |width= |height= |engine=2.0 L OHC I4 2.2 L Perkins 4.135 Diesel I4 2.3 L OHC I4 2.3 L Mitsubishi 4D55 Turbodiesel I4 2.8 L Cologne V6 2.9 L Cologne V6 |transmission='Manual' 4-speed Toyo Kogyo TK4 5-speed Toyo Kogyo TK5 5-speed Mitsubishi FM132 5-speed Mitsubishi FM145 5-speed Mitsubishi FM146 5-speed Mazda M5OD-R1 Automatic 3-speed C3 3-speed C5 4-speed A4LD |related=Ford Bronco II }} Ford began development of the Ranger in 1976, focusing on quality and fuel efficiency. The intent was to build a truck that was as capable as the full-size F-Series, but in a more economical package. The compact Ranger had a similar styling to the full-size Ford F-Series, used a similar architecture, and was offered with a four-wheel drive capability. This ability allowed the Ford Ranger to haul a four-foot-wide (1.2 m) sheet of plywood, which is a common standard for a pickup truck. In the compact Ranger, however, the space between the wheel wells was less than four feet; Ford designed the box with provisions to allow hauling of a standard sheet of plywood. 1983 Ranger production began January 18, 1982 at the Louisville Assembly Plant, hitting showrooms in March. Available engines were the 2.0 L and 2.3 L OHC four-cylinders, a four-cylinder 2.2 L Mazda/Perkins diesel, and a 2.8 L Cologne V6. In 1985, a Mitsubishi-built 2.3 L turbodiesel with replaced the Mazda diesel engine, and in 1986, the 2.8 L engine was replaced with a 2.9 L Cologne V6. The Super-cab was introduced in 1986, offering an extra of storage space behind the front seats, with a pair of jump seats available as an option. A lot of the parts of the interior such as the steering wheel and the window cranks were similar to those in other Ford vehicles like the Bronco, Escort, and the F-Series. Mid-year 1986 saw the introduction of the Ranger GT. Available only as a standard cab with a short bed, it had a 2.9 L Cologne V6 with either a 5-speed Toyo Kogyo manual transmission or an optional A4LD automatic transmission putting power to a Traction-Lok differential with a 3.73 gear ratio. Inside, the pickup was equipped with special bucket seats, full instrument cluster, and an optional center console. Front and rear sway bars were installed, and 14x6 aluminum wheels completed the package. A long bed option was added for 1987, and a new ground effects package was introduced in 1988. 1989–1992 |length= |width= |height= |engine=2.3 L OHC I4 2.9 L Cologne V6 3.0 L Vulcan V6 4.0 L Cologne V6 |transmission='Manual' 5-speed Mitsubishi FM132 5-speed Mitsubishi FM146 5-speed Mazda M5OD-R1 Automatic 4-speed A4LD |related=Ford Bronco II Ford Explorer Mazda Navajo }} The truck received a facelift in 1989, which included flush composite headlamps, new front fenders, hood, and grille, along with some upgrades to the frame. Inside, there was a modern new dashboard and steering column. The new steering column included, on automatic transmission-equipped models, a column-mounted gear shift, and key removal on manual transmission models became a simpler, one-handed operation. Manual-equipped 1983–88 models had the key release button beneath the column on the left-hand side, requiring drivers to use both hands to remove the key. Rear-wheel antilock brakes were added, and a fuel tank was now optional on extended-cab models. The 2.0 L engine was discontinued, and the 2.3 L now had a distributorless ignition system with two spark plugs per cylinder, giving it a boost. The three-speed automatics were dropped, leaving only the A4LD. The new 4.0 L Cologne V6 was added to the option list for all models in 1990. The 3.0 L Vulcan V6 was introduced to replace the 2.9 L Cologne in rear-wheel drive trucks later in 1990. With the new engines, the only manual transmission available was the 5-speed M5OD-R1. The Ranger GT was discontinued, although the Ford Truck Public Affairs office did build a prototype for 1990 powered by a 3.0 L SHO V6. Second generation 1993–1997 | length = | width = | height = | related = Ford Explorer Mazda Navajo Mercury Mountaineer }} In 1993 there was another redesign, with a shape more aerodynamic than before. Overall the truck had smoother lines, and other changes included flush-mounted door glass, wider doors, and slight fender flares. The 1989-style dashboard remained, but the seats and door panels were new. The 2.9-liter engine was discontinued. The engines offered were offered in displacements of 2.3-, 3.0- and a 4.0 liters. The Mazda M5OD-R1 was now the sole manual transmission option. A new "Splash" model was introduced, which had a flare side bed, unique chrome wheels, lowered rear suspension and a 2 inch lowered front suspension (on 4x2 models), and special vinyl "Splash" decals on the sides and the tailgate. The 1993 Splash models were only available as a regular cab, and were offered in arctic white, gloss black, red orange, and sky blue. The Mazda B-Series became a rebadged Ranger for the 1994 model year, but the Mazda B-Series did not offer an equivalent to the Splash model. For the 1995 model year, the Splash trim had options which all included; a lowered rear suspension and 2 inch lowered front suspension (on 4x2 models), flare side bed, an extended cab, and unique chrome wheels. The decals also underwent subtle changes. While the 1993 – 1994 models donned red, yellow and blue stripes, the 1995 – 1996 models had lime green stripes with more emphasis on the "scatter" design. Additionally, the available colors for the Splash model changed from the 1993 – 1994 models to the 1995 – 1997 models. The latter were offered in Maroon Red, Gloss black, White, and Canary Yellow. The Splash model was the first Ranger to offer power mirrors, and throughout the 3rd generation's production run, power mirrors remained exclusive to the Splash models. For the 1997 and final model of the Splash, only the name "Splash" was used, without the stripes. A number of changes were made for 1995. The steering wheel was modified to include a driver's side airbag and the dashboard was completely redesigned in a similar way to the new-for-1995 Explorer, except that the passenger air bag was optional and not available until 1996. The A4LD transmission was updated. 2.3 L and 3.0 L models got the 4R44E, while 4.0 L trucks got the 4R55E. The front brakes were changed to use the same 2-piston brake calipers as the second generation Explorer, and four-wheel anti-lock brakes were added as standard on 4x4 and 4.0 L models. South America In 1995 Ford started importing the two-door Ranger SuperCab from the US to South America with the 4.0-liter Cologne V6 gasoline engine. As demad incresed, Ford decided to build it locally in Buenos Aires Argentina at the Ford General Pacheco Assembly Plant for the Argentinian, Chilean, Brazilian,Ford Ranger- Accessed 03/11/2011 Peruvian,Ford Ranger Peru (in Spanish) - Accessed 03/11/2011 and Mexican markets. Ford started local production in 1996 with a single cab, gasoline engine version, but by November 1997 the supply is increased with diesel and gasoline engines, two-wheel, four-wheel drive and different levels of equipment. File:FordRangerDash.jpg|Ford Ranger dash panel File:FordRangerJumpSeat.jpg|Ford Ranger jump seat closed File:FordRangerJumpSeat(2).jpg|Ford Ranger jump seat open Mazda B-Series The North American 1994 Proceed/B-Series was new, the design having been merged with the Ford Ranger.Mazda continued to manufacture its own trucks in Japan and elsewhere, but for the North American market, the design was shared, as were the engines.The new B3000 and B4000 boasted large Ford V6 engines, and the M5OD-R1 manual transmission returning to the options sheet.Extended cab models were available, as was all wheel drive, and two trim lines, LE and SE.The 3.0 L B3000 was dropped for 1997, and the entire line was refreshed after that year. Engine options: * B2300 ** 1994 – 2.3 L (2311 cc) OHC I4, ** 1995–1997 – 2.3 L (2311 cc) OHC I4, * B3000 ** 1994 – 3.0 L (2983 cc) Vulcan V6, ** 1995–1996 – 3.0 L (2983 cc) Vulcan V6, * B4000 ** 1994–1997 – 4.0 L (4016 cc) Cologne V6, 1998–present | length = | width = | height = | engine = 2.3 L Duratec I4 2.5 L OHC I4 3.0 L Vulcan V6 (1998–08) 4.0 L Cologne V6 | transmission = Manual 5-speed Mazda M5OD-R1 Automatic 4-speed 4R44E 5-speed 5R55E | related = Ford Explorer Mazda B-Series Mercury Mountaineer }} In 1998 the Ranger got another redesign, giving it a longer wheelbase and a three-inch (76 mm) longer cab for the regular cab models (part of which provided more room in the interior. The 1995–97 interior look was retained. The twin I-beam front suspension was replaced by the wishbone-style system found on the Explorer and the front half of the frame was of "boxed", rather than C-channel construction. Rack and pinion steering was also added. The four-cylinder engine was bumped up to a 2.5 L SOHC I4 giving it a 6% increase in power over the old 2.3 L. It put out and of torque. That engine was replaced by a new DOHC 2.3 L Duratec I4 in mid-2001. 2001 also saw the pushrod 4.0 L V6 replaced by the SOHC version from the Explorer, bringing with it a beefier M5OD-R1HD manual transmission. Also in 2001, the five-speed automatic transmission that was introduced in 1997 for the 4.0 V6, was now also available with the 2.3 I4 and 3.0 V6. The Ranger received a facelift, including a new grille, hood, and front bumper, as well as updated headlights and taillights. SLP produced a version of the Ranger called "thunderbolt". This model included different options such as a unique front and rear bumper, air intake, exhaust and even a spoiler. In 2004 the Ranger received minor updates to the grille, hood, and front bumper. New front bucket seats were also added in 2004 to meet the new U.S. Federal safety requirements. In 2006 the Ranger received more minor updates to the grille, front turn signals and taillights, along with a bigger rear Ford logo that was now centered in the middle of the tailgate. File:Ford Ranger Double Cab 02.jpg|Ford Ranger double cab (South America) File:2001-2003_Ford_Ranger.jpg|2001–2003 Ford Ranger extended cab File:2001-05_Ford_Ranger.jpg|2004–2005 Ford Ranger extended cab File:06-08 Ford Ranger.jpg|2006–present Ford Ranger regular cab The current Ranger is offered with a 2.3-liter I4 and a 4.0-liter V6. The 3.0 Vulcan V6 was discontinued as of the 2009 model year. The FX4 Level II version comes with a special 31-spline rear axle equipped with a Zexel-Torsen limited-slip differential, three skid plates, upgraded tow hooks, 31" BFGoodrich All Terrains, 15-inch Alcoa wheels, and Bilstein shocks. Inside, the Level II package added leather front bucket seats and rubber floors along with a six-CD MP3 headunit as standard options. The truck uses code R1 (for two-door) and R4 (for four-door) in the 5th and 6th positions of the VIN. In December 2009, Ford announced that specialty-designed custom graphics would be applied to the Ranger beginning with the 2010 models. The feature will be exclusive to Ford Dealers and will allow customers to pick a design that they want customized for their Ranger trims."Fancy a camouflage F-150? Graphics for entire Ford lineup coming soon" from Autoblog.com (December 18, 2009) As of 2010 in the US, the Ranger is no longer offered with the FX4 trim level. The FX4 is still available in Canada; however, it is a $2500 option on top of the Sport trim level. The FX4 package cannot be applied to an XLT. The FX4 for the 2010–2011 model years in Canada come with a 4.10 limited slip rear end. For the 2011 model year, the level trims have adjusted. The XL trim will be the standard level, followed by the XLT and Sport trims. The latter two will include Sirius radio as a optional feature.2011 Ford Ranger from media.ford.com (July 2010) The Ford Ranger was the first small pickup to introduce dual air bags as safety features. It received an "acceptable" frontal crash test rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety when they were first tested in 1998, while many of its competitors received "marginal" or "poor" ratings at that time. The exception was the Toyota Tacoma, which also got an "acceptable" rating. The 2010 model year brought the addition of front seat combination head and torso airbags to improve passenger safety in a side-impact collision and earned Good rating through the Insurance Institute For Highway Safety's Side Impact Test. Also Electronic Stability Control was added for the 2010 Models as Standard Equipment. In the Roof Strength Test conducted by Insurance Institute For Highway Safety, the Ford Ranger earned an Acceptable rating. South America In 1998 the updated Ford Ranger production started in Argentina with a unique-to-South America double cab body variant.Ford Pick up history in Argentina (in Spanish) - Accessed 03/11/2011 There is a choice of two powerplant options including a 3.0-liter Power Stroke turbocharged four-cylinder diesel with 163 horsepower and 280 lb-ft of torque mated to a Eaton FSO-2405-A five-speed manual transmission. In 2007 Ford invested US$156.5 million in Pacheco facilityFord to invest US$156.5m in Pacheco facility- Accessed 03/08/2011 and by 2008 the Ford Ranger gets a makeover with new grill andheadlights similar to the 2006 North American Ranger and bed extenders available for all boxes.Ranger 2008 (in Spanish) - Accessed 03/08/2011 The 2010 Ranger got refreshened with new sheet metal giving. Departing from the original North American model, the South American model received redesigned outer door skins with pull-out door handles, wider wheel arches, and a redesigned front-end, though the 2008 interior look was retained as well as the two engine choices. In 2010 Ford also introduced a new optional engine to run exclusively on compressed natural gas, which makes it the first pick up of Argentina to offer a factory-built natural gas vehicle (NGV) commercially available in Argentina.presentó la nueva Ford Ranger 2010 (in Spanish) - Accessed 03/08/2011Ford Ranger 2010 (Mercosur), primeras imágenes y datos (in Spanish) - Accessed 03/10/2011 The other Ford Ranger available for the rest of the Latin American market is based on the Mazda BT-50 and is being assembled in Ecuador and Colombia. Wheelbases and bed lengths: * 1998–present – 111.6 inch(2,831mm) – 6 ft. bed(1,732mm) Single Cab * 1998–present – 111.6 inch(2,831mm) – 7 ft. bed(2,129mm) Single Cab * 1998–present – 125.6 inch(3,192mm) – 5 ft. bed(1,467mm) Double Cab Engines: Electric Ranger The Ford Ranger EV was a battery electric vehicle produced by Ford Motor Company. It was produced starting in 1998 through 2002 and was built on the four-wheel drive Ranger's chassis, however, it was RWD only and employed an independent rear suspension unique to the Electric Ranger. Mazda B-Series North America saw a redesigned new Ranger/Proceed/B-Series again for 1998, with a larger base engine.A five-speed automatic transmission was available.The 1999 B-Series added four doors, a first in the extended-cab pickup truck market.In 2001 a more powerful SOHC version of the 4.0 L V6 replaced the old OHV engine, while Ford's Duratec engine replaced the ancient Lima engine in four-cylinder models the following year.2008 was the last year for 3.0 L B-series trucks.For 2009, the B4000 Cab Plus SE model was discontinued in the United States market.The full B-Series lineup was discontinued, in the United States, at the end of the 2009 model year, while the Ford Ranger remains in production. As of 2010, the B-Series lineup continues to be sold in Canada. Engine options: * B2500 ** 1998–2001 – 2.5 L (2507 cc) OHC I4, * B2300 ** 2002–2010 – 2.3 L (2300 cc) Duratec I4, * B3000 ** 1998–2001 – 3.0 L (2957 cc) Vulcan V6, ** 2002–2003 – 3.0 L (2957 cc) Vulcan V6, ** 2004–2008 – 3.0 L (2957 cc) Vulcan V6, * B4000 ** 1998–2000 – 4.0 L (4025 cc) Cologne V6, ** 2001–2010 – 4.0 L (4025 cc) Cologne V6, Discontinuation Ford chose to invest improvements in the Ford Explorer SUV which was branched to a more advanced platform than the Ranger, letting Ranger's sales decline. However as a result of the shift toward smaller and more fuel efficient vehicles in North America, Ford has said it will continue to produce the current Ford Ranger through 2011 at its Twin Cities, Minn. plant, which was previously scheduled to close in 2009. This production extension has led to speculation that the next generation ASEAN Ranger, codenamed T6, already at an advanced stage of development by Ford Australia, will be sold in North America despite being designed for global markets outside of North America. The T6 Ranger is expected to enter production in 2011. As of May 2010, T6 engineering prototypes are being tested in various countries including the U.S. It is expected that the new truck will come with at least two engine choices: a 2.0 L EcoBoost four-cylinder, and the 3.0 L Duratorq diesel for models sold outside the U.S. In recent years, Ranger's competitors, from the Nissan Frontier to the Toyota Tacoma have been redesigned and enlarged towards the mid-size market, leaving the Ranger the only compact truck on the market. The Ranger remains a decent seller for Ford, with companies like Auto Zone buying them regularly as well as those individuals seeking good fuel mileage in a compact truck (Ranger gets better MPG than any other pickup with its Mazda-derived 4cyl engine). Ford initially considered a smaller-than-F-150 pickup truck, one based on the F-Series (following the older F-100 offering). This proposal was cancelled in favor of offering an EcoBoost engine in the F-150 product line. Ford has confirmed that they will end production on the Ranger in 2011, and have no plans to offer the next generation in the United States, which means that the T6 version will only be available outside North America. The decision as to why the Ranger will no longer be available in America is that the new global platform is simply too close in size to the F-150. Another factor is due to declining sales, as Ford's Vice President of Global Product Development, Derrick Kuzak, notes that the compact pickup market in America has been declining for the past 15 years, dropping from eight percent of the industry in 1994 to around two percent in 2010. The ending of the Ranger in the United States also marks a departure for Ford from the compact truck segment after 30 years. Yearly American sales See also *Ford Ranger (South America) References External links *Ford Ranger official web site *Specifications and technical data Ranger Category:All wheel drive vehicles Category:Rear wheel drive vehicles Category:1980s automobiles Category:1990s automobiles Category:2000s automobiles Category:2010s automobiles Category:Vehicles introduced in 1983 Category:Motor vehicles manufactured in the United States Category:Trucks built in the United States